Embodiments relate to bearer activation (re-activation) in core networks for wireless devices.
The Enhanced Packet Core (EPC) network for 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) supports devices requiring long term Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for reachability, access to multiple specialized networks (e.g., virtual private networks (VPN) to enterprise networks, and service specific networks for IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)), and quality of service (QoS) attributes including priority, delay, bandwidth and packet loss. However, a large set of devices exist in which many of these characteristics are not needed, where a high volume of transactions is expected, and where there is a need to improve the efficiency of the EPC to support these devices.
For example, the devices include machine type devices with limited functions (e.g., a telemetry device that periodically reports data wirelessly) and selective IP traffic offload (SIPTO) where generic internet applications use best effort transport to initiate frequent transactions with internet based servers. SIPTO would be sufficient to support a high percentage of today's internet traffic. Smart phones in particular use such applications.
Existing solutions involve the use of the same packet: core network procedures as for normal data services for normal users and so are not optimized for low cost delivery of infrequent short transactions. For example, the existing solutions involve either excessive signaling when the devices wake up from time to time just to send a very small number of packets and/or require permanent allocation of resources in the EPC user plane (e.g., serving gateway and packet gateway).